One of the benefits of being an early 80’s baby is that I carry the fond memories of my 5-year-old self playing Nintendo with our next door neighbors, repeatedly watching MJ’s “Thriller” video (I actually used to think it was a movie b/c it was so long) and enjoying movies such as “Adventures in Baby-sitting”, “ET” and of course,”The Goonies”. Looking back I realize I was drawn to such story-lines because all three films were about a child’s imagination propelling them from the mundaneness of life and into a world where anything could happen.
Mikey, Brand, Andy, Stef, Data, Jake, and Chunk, after the discovery of a pirate treasure map, found themselves in the middle of a treasure hunt , one that only some of the members of the group believed would actually lead to a treasure. The kids were in preparation to move from their hometown as their parents didn’t have the funds to keep their home from being knocked down by developers and replaced with a golf course. *Spoiler Alert* But of course the kids find the treasure and save the day even outwitting the bad guys who were on their tail the whole time during their search. I love the obstacles they face and overcome during each stage of the journey and I love how the group bonds together throughout their shared experience. But there is one scene that stands out to me above the rest. The group is stuck at the bottom of a well and their foe Troy offers to lift them up with a bucket, seemingly delivering them from their current fate of being lost. But Mikey, displaying stellar leadership skills mind you, convinces the group to forge ahead in finding the gold after they all want to give up.
“Don’t you realize?”, Mikey says, “The next time you see sky, it’ll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it’ll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what’s right for them. Because it’s their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it’s our time. It’s our time down here. That’s all over the second we ride up Troy’s bucket.”
In my opinion, Mikey says three key words which changes the goonies’ minds: “It’s Our Time“. They had been through their share of ups and downs during their quest and would go through so much more after making the decision to stick out the journey ahead, but what mattered was that they stuck it out. By sticking it out they were greatly rewarded by not only finding the treasure, but personally growing in various aspects such as leadership, endurance and friendship.
One of my dear friends has been on this journey of living a surrendered life to Christ with me for the last several years. There have been tests, temptations, and various obstacles in our way yet by His grace, we have stayed the course. She has had a heart for the Haitian people ever since her first missionary trip and received a promise from the Lord that she would do evangelism and missionary work. That promise was given six years ago. For six years she struggled and walked out the path that was set before her, which at that time, other than annual missionary stints, did not include Haiti.
But now her time has come.
She will be leaving for Haiti next month for one year. The project she will be given actually enhances her corporate world work experience and makes her an even valuable associate. For 12 months I’m going to miss her like crazy and at the same time my heart will soar each day knowing she is living her dream. Knowing our God is faithful.
My roommate, the faithful teacher who fights for her kids inside and outside of the classroom everyday to choose life over death, will also be rewarded for her obedience. A new job with better pay, more professional support and a plethora of classroom resources awaits her. She’ll be starting next month even though a variety of obstacles stood in the way, attempting to keep her from her blessing.
No weapon formed against us shall prosper. It’s our time.
It’s our time to stay on this journey of faith, to not wallow in discouragement, frustration and fear. The quest we are on can seem overwhelming, long, draining, etc…and we just want the treasure. We just want the breakthrough. And sometimes it seems as if the promises of God were just a figment of our imagination. The thing is, the journey itself is actually of much more value than the reward. The stamina we display while we are in the valley makes our Papa smile with pride. We demonstrate His character and confirm that yes “I am a child of the Most High”. So even as the bad guys chase us, we find ourselves in the bottom of a well, and our enemy offers us a way to lift us up out of our current circumstances, we must resist. We resist because we know that though the road we are on looks unpromising, the God we can’t see has promised and ALWAYS delivers.
SHALOM
